


Of all the ugly guys, I'm the best looking

by wisteria_hime



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, First Love, High School, M/M, Naruto is a dork, Post-High School, Romance, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 23:32:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12568664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisteria_hime/pseuds/wisteria_hime
Summary: Close your eyes and count to three,Now open and tell me what you seeFrom today, from now onWill you be mine?Naruto has a problem, he's got a huge crush on someone - so what else to do but confess his love and be together forever? Simple, right? Yeah...not so much. But he's not gonna give up, no matter how many times it takes!





	Of all the ugly guys, I'm the best looking

**Author's Note:**

> Had this sitting in my drafts for literally months, thought it's about time I posted it for y'all ^^ it's pretty cheesy, but guys you gotta know I LOVE my cheese :) hope you enjoy~
> 
> \- Based on K Will's 'Day 1' song and MV (don't have to watch to read but it's cute so here ^^):  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVVPxexz1c

Sticking his earphones in his ears, Naruto Uzumaki walked out of front gates of the school. His long legs moved him in the direction of the garden area where students waited to be picked up, and just hung around before going home.

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip, tipping his head up to look at the sky, as he stood under the shade of a tree. You see, something was on his mind, and it wouldn’t go away. And if there’s something unshakeable in Naruto Uzumaki’s mind, that means nobody (including him) would rest until it was attended to! For Naruto was suffering from an affliction, something he had only ever heard about but never actually experienced for himself.

A first love is never an easy thing.

But first, let’s get you well acquainted with the man called Naruto Uzumaki.

His wild blonde hair never looked the way he wanted it to, spiking up in ways he didn’t think was possible – and he combed it each morning and everything! Naruto didn’t get it, his dad’s hair never looked like this, and his mum didn’t have any problems either. Well, that’s what he could deduce from their photographs and some video footage. Not to mention the unexplainably weird birthmarks on each of his cheeks that looked like whiskers. _Stupid genetics._

Then there were his eyes, which he didn’t think were too bad. People loved blue eyes, right? Yeah, not really if you were wearing those classic round style glasses that made him look like an utter dork. Many costume parties he was a hit as a blonde Harry Potter. His eyesight had gotten really bad a couple years back, so now he couldn’t see shit without them – unless of course he wore contacts, which were a pain in the ass to put in _and_ take out!

As for his clothes, of course he wore the school uniform. But, he made his own modifications to it, such as having his shirt perpetually untucked and his tie always loose hanging around his neck or some days he ditched the tie when he felt he could get away with it. On his feet were not polished black leather shoes, but instead his favourite pair of black Converse. Naruto wasn’t one to conform, so if he had to wear that lame uniform then it was gonna be his way or the highway.

He wasn’t on any of sporting teams, and didn’t go to the gym to workout. When he wanted to be active he just went for a jog, sometimes a run. Occasionally he did push ups and sit ups, but he wasn’t insane about it. In no way was Naruto ashamed of his body though! Proud as punch was he to note that all of his baby fat had disappeared, leaving in its wake firm muscle that Naruto was sure would only improve as he grew older.

Okay, so Naruto wasn’t exactly the school stud. He was still growing into his looks, give him a break! Usually even he didn’t notice this much about himself, or care about it for that matter. But that had all changed, because of one simple reason.

Blue eyes snapped to attention when he saw the reason for his tumultuous mindset walking out of the school gates, a backpack slung over one shoulder and a hand tucking away stray strands of hair being blown about by the light autumn breeze.

It was _Sasuke_.

A grin already on his face, his eyes sparkled when he saw the Uchiha’s gaze turn his way.

_He’s looking at me! Holy crap, is he waving? At me?!_

Sure enough, Sasuke had a slight smirk on his face as he lifted his hand in a friendly wave. Grinning brighter than the sun itself, Naruto raised his arm and waved enthusiastically back. He kept waving as Sasuke walked towards him, and even still as he walked past him. When Naruto turned his head to see where Sasuke was going, he noticed Sasuke was meeting up with someone – his brother, and evidently the person Sasuke was undoubtedly waving at.

Feeling like a total loser, Naruto tried his hardest not to let it show and casually moved his waving hand to run down the back of his head. It was a gesture many associated with him, so it wasn’t like he was doing anything weird.

Sasuke Uchiha. Or better known as, the guy who became Naruto’s first crush.

He was probably the most popular guy in their school grade, among students and teachers alike. You could always hear some gossip going around about Sasuke every week, and a lot of students had their eyes on him. Teachers thought he was the perfect student, a role model to others in the school that everyone should strive towards.

Not only was he popular, but he was also jaw-droppingly, heart-stoppingly, absolutely, positively _gorgeous_.

Typical black hair, yet he managed to wear it so _goddamn well_. Artfully styled at the back of his head were spikes of hair, with bangs framing his refined, delicate face. There was some hidden gentleness in his features, that Naruto had never been able to actually see for himself but he knew it was there – even if his face did resemble a stony wall most of the time. Dark, chocolate brown eyes were an enigma, for if you got caught in their gaze you couldn’t escape.

Naruto had learnt this lesson multiple times when he had actually managed to get Sasuke to look at him, and he tended to forget himself. Like the time he had been making a presentation in his Physics class (which he shared with Sasuke), and caught those alluring eyes staring at him. Naruto had resembled a puffer fish for a grand total of two whole minutes before Genma-sensei had flicked a toothpick at him and cleared his throat. _God_ , Naruto could still feel how his face flamed, his cheeks bright red as he jerked out of his trance, stuttering out an apology and a nervous laugh and continued on.

Or the other time when he was in PE (another class he shared with Sasuke), and they were playing basketball. Naruto wasn’t great at sports, but his enthusiasm at trying his best made up for his lack of real skill. He was dribbling the ball down the court, looking around for someone to pass it too when his eyes had locked with those onyx orbs. Sasuke was sitting on the bench for this quarter, along with some other guys, and was watching the game i.e. watching Naruto, who had the ball.

However, Naruto was a goner as soon as their eyes met, as he had stopped running and dribbling the ball, completely mesmerised by their depth, their shimmering – that was as far as Naruto could get in his admiration because the next minute he had landed on his ass, the ball gone from his hands and his teammates yelling at him.

Sasuke was, simply put, _freaking amazing_. He was the captain of the field hockey team and the debate team, his GPA was off the charts so _of course_ he topped all his classes, and he was on the school council to boot. Oddly enough, he wasn’t class president – the position currently being held by one Neji Hyuuga. It didn’t seem that Sasuke cared though, since he never challenged Neji for the position.

If the reason Sasuke didn’t want it wasn’t because of how tight his schedule was already, Naruto really didn’t know what to make of it. His schedule was nowhere near as heavy as Sasuke’s, yet he still complained and felt exhausted most of the time. Despite how seemingly perfect he was, Naruto knew somewhere deep inside that Sasuke was human too. He couldn’t do everything and be everywhere all the time.

So, like a lot of other people in this school, Naruto was in love with Sasuke. True, most of the people in love with him were girls – okay so they were ALL girls, but Naruto wasn’t giving up hope! Plus, he had yet to actually see Sasuke accept any confessions and as far as Sakura Haruno knew – the chief expert in the school about _all_ things Sasuke Uchiha, including the instigator of much gossip – Sasuke didn’t have a girlfriend.

Naruto had decided that he was going to be the one to win Sasuke’s heart!

It couldn’t be that difficult, surely. His chances were definitely high! Well, maybe not _extremely_ high. At the current point in time, his interaction with Sasuke about…a shared glance occasionally and a single word or two exchanged. And _okay,_ so when they were younger Naruto was sorta jealous of Sasuke and _kinda_ used to like beating him to a pulp – something which Sasuke participated in fully let the records show!

That was years ago though, and somewhere along the line he and Sasuke had stopped clashing. Naruto couldn’t speak for him, but he assumed Sasuke stopped because of all the demands of his schedule as well as studying. He didn’t want to tarnish his reputation or make his family embarrassed. Naruto stopped because at the time he thought Sasuke had learnt his lesson and admitted defeat. Yeah, he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box when he was younger. So they had reached an amicable ceasefire, and were just like any other classmates.

Now, however, Naruto’s feelings had changed. He had figured out those feelings of jealousy and aggression towards Sasuke were just masking his desire to be Sasuke’s friend. Well, he still wanted to be Sasuke’s friend now, _of course!_ But he also wanted to be his _boyfriend,_ and he was determined not to back down no matter what anyone said!

Besides, Naruto always, _always_ got what he wanted. Okay so maybe that wasn’t exactly true in terms of his grades, since they could definitely stand to be a little ( _a lot_ ) higher, but he wasn’t talking about grades here! This was about feelings, and Naruto knew more about those than everyone gave him credit for.

*

Sasuke was in the library, ergo Naruto was in the library as well. It wasn’t like he was stalking the guy or anything, he just had the same class as Sasuke before lunch and when he saw Sasuke heading to the library he decided it was a good idea to go too.

“I’ll get it,” Naruto said, his voice sounding smooth if he said so himself as he shot Sasuke a smile, leaning up to reach the thick book.

However, like always when he looked at Sasuke, he couldn’t look away. So when he pulled the book out, he was not watching what he was doing and did not see the barrage of books that tumbled down with it. Naruto lost his grip on the heavy book, which landed right on top of Sasuke’s head, and the other books fell down on top of both of them.

Sasuke’s face twisted in pain from the brunt force of the book, and Naruto heard him groan softly, rubbing his head. Luckily for Naruto, the books had only fallen on his shoulders and arms – it still really hurt but it was better than his head!

He had hurt Sasuke! He was the worst person _alive!_

Looking absolutely mortified, Naruto shuffled closer to Sasuke whilst rubbing his own sore arms, “Oh, shit! Sorry, Sasuke! I really didn’t mean to–”

“Sasuke-senpai! Are you okay?” A girl suddenly appeared at Sasuke’s side, her small hand on his shoulder as she patted it comfortingly.

At the sound of Sasuke’s name, two other girls came rushing over, pushing Naruto out of the way as they attempted to soothe away Sasuke’s pain. The blonde stumbled and almost tripped, surprised at the strength teenage girls had these days.

Sighing to himself, Naruto crouched down and began gathering up all the books he’d dropped. Once he’d placed them back where they belonged, he picked up the book he had gotten for Sasuke (the group of girls had kicked it away from him in their fury) and placed it on the desk where Sasuke was working. Then, he decided to get going because it was only a matter of time before the swooning girls realised who had caused Sasuke pain in the first place – and Naruto wasn’t a glutton for punishment!

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Naruto sped out of the library without looking back. And then started slapping himself across the face.

“Stupid, stupid, STUPID!” Naruto smacked himself a little too hard on the last one, hissing as his cheek stung and then pouting.

Looking back to the library, Naruto resolved not to give up. Sure, that had been bad. But…it could have been worse, right?

Like, he could’ve… _uhh…_

Or he might’ve… _well…_

 _Whatever!_ The point was, even though it was stupid, he was not quitting! It happened, it was over now and that was that. Besides, Sasuke would probably forget about it in a few days, and then Naruto would try again.

*

Going on one of his daily jogs through the local park, Naruto almost fell flat on his face at what he saw. There, sitting on one of the park benches with a sketch pad in one hand and a pencil in the other, was Sasuke.

Naruto was thanking his lucky stars for this chance meeting. How perfect was this? And he was exercising, so Sasuke would see he wasn’t a lazy guy like everyone thought!

 _Okay, chill man, just chill._ First he needed to work out how to do this!

Nodding at his plan firmly solidified in his brain, Naruto resumed his jogging and didn’t stop until he reached a bench – one that was just a few metres from the one Sasuke was on! Panting heavily, Naruto parked his ass on the bench seat and slung his arm around the back of it.

_Oh no, what if my B.O. is really bad? Sasuke’s gonna get grossed out, put your arm down!_

Hurriedly taking his arm off the back of the bench, Naruto straightened his posture a bit and took a sip from his water bottle. Steeling himself, he feigned looking around the park in interest when his eyes landed on Sasuke – who was still looking down at his sketch pad, only occasionally glancing up every now and then.

But Naruto would not be discouraged! Smiling broadly, he tilted his head to the side and leaned over a little. Surely Sasuke’s eyes would sense the close movement, and he’d look up and notice Naruto!

In fact, Sasuke did _not_ do that. He remained completely unaffected, continuing to draw without a care in the world.

Desperate times call for desperate measures! Standing from his bench, he began ambling slowly over to Sasuke’s bench. It was a really long bench, and Naruto thought that if he sat at the end then it wouldn’t be that weird. So he did, turning to his side to flash a grin at Sasuke – but he was still sketching.

Pouting, Naruto slid over on the bench, getting closer. Still no reaction. So he moved again, now a person’s body’s space away from Sasuke. Yet the guy still didn’t look to the right!

So Naruto did what he had to do – and started waving at Sasuke. He waved and waved, just waiting for the moment that Sasuke would notice him. It suddenly hit Naruto that maybe Sasuke did notice his presence, but he was choosing to ignore him.

“Hey, good afternoon, Sasuke! Fancy seeing you here!”

“Ah, such…such nice weather we’re having, neh?”

_Nice weather we’re having? Way to go, dumbass! That was the best you could do?!_

Sasuke still hadn’t looked at him, so Naruto wasn’t expecting a reply anytime soon.

“Yep, it’s a really good day. The sun bein’ out and all, bein’ so… _sunny_.”

If Naruto wasn’t so damn nervous that he couldn’t even move his body, he’d punch himself in his own face. He sounded like a total blockhead! Whatever Sasuke was thinking of him right now, it was anything but flattering.

His throat suddenly went very dry, and Naruto brought his drink bottle to his lips once more, taking a really long drink this time. _Get it together, come on! It can’t be any worse than the last time you saw_ _him!_

“Makes for a good day to sketch things, anyway.” Naruto said, rubbing at his nose and trying to get some sort of intelligent dialogue to flow from his mouth.

“Y’know, when I was a kid I had a sorta affinity for painting. I mean, it was mostly just a mess of colours on the page, but I liked to paint what I could see. I still like to do it sometimes.”

Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Naruto peered over Sasuke’s shoulder to see what he was drawing. He held in a gasp at what he saw. It was the park, the area where the fountain and water garden was. There was so much detail! Even though it wasn’t finished, Naruto thought it looked amazing.

“Wow, you’ve definitely got more than just an affinity for that! It’s like your fingers are made of magic or somethin’! You’re a natural, Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed excitedly, blue eyes wide as he kept staring at the work.

“Hey, I know you’re the artist and all and what I think is probably gonna sound way lame and unoriginal, but you should try adding some birds in there or somethin’! Like in the sky, sorta in the distance. I dunno, I just really think it needs that animal touch. When I see animals in a picture, I feel like I’m there too, watching them.”

Smothering a wince, Naruto realised he had just been rambling for the past five minutes and felt a faint blush fill in his whiskered cheeks. Just as he opened his mouth to say something else, his phone started playing his ringtone ‘Sexy Back’, signalling someone was calling him.

His blush deepened as he pulled it jerkily out of his pocket and peered down at the screen. It was Iruka, he couldn’t ignore it. Sighing, Naruto hesitantly stood from the bench and straightened his rumpled clothes.

“I guess I gotta go now. It was nice seein’ ya, Sasuke. I hope you can finish your picture soon! See ya later!” Naruto then started jogging away as fast as he could as he pressed the green answer button. Almost straight away he pulled the phone away from his ear as Iruka began to chew him out for being late.

*

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Naruto held the home phone (it was detachable) in his hands and was having the best staring contest the world had ever seen with it. After all the disastrous encounters he had with Sasuke in public, Naruto decided to take a less direct approach and had the brilliant idea of calling him!

Naruto would have preferred it if he had Sasuke’s mobile number, but he guessed having the number to his house was a blessing in itself. He was sorta surprised the Uchiha’s were in there. With the amount of attention Sasuke got, he imagined he’d be getting creepy fangirl calls all the time and Sasuke would have their number wiped from the phonebook. Naruto’s happy mood slipped as he realised he was basically the equivalent of a Sasuke fangirl.

No, no – this was _different!_ For a start, he wasn’t a girl, so how could he even be a fangirl? (He dutifully ignored the voice that was screaming ‘fanboy’ in the back of his head).

And to _not_ be creepy, Naruto already had a pretence. If Sasuke asked why he called him, Naruto would simply say that he had lost his phone and was wondering if Sasuke had seen it or knew where it was. Yes, that was believable. Then, once he got the conversation rolling, it would be a piece of cake!

“Hello, who’s there?” It was Sasuke’s voice, he knew right away.

Naruto knew what he had to say, the words appearing so clearly before his eyes. But his mouth was just opening and closing like a goddamn _fish!_

Why now, of all times, did his throat have to turn dry?

Why did his heart have to beat that fast?

Why did Sasuke’s voice sound so _good_ over the phone?

“Who’s calling?” Sasuke’s voice said down the receiver, and Naruto suddenly realised he was just as useless talking to Sasuke on the phone as he was talking to him in the flesh.

“Sorry, you called the wrong number!” Naruto made his voice sound squeaky and high pitched like a girl’s, and had never felt more humiliated in his life.

“…You called me.”

There was more silence, as Naruto floundered on what to do. He should just hang up, but his hand was numb! He couldn’t do anything, except to breathe down the phone line like some weirdo!

“Is this some sort of joke?” Sasuke’s voice was unamused, and Naruto could just see the disdain in his face and how Sasuke would be glaring into space. _Not good!_

“S-Sorry he doesn’t live here anymore! Bye-bye!” Naruto practically screamed the last two words into the phone as he regained feeling back in his hand, slammed his thumb down on the red phone button and threw the phone into the soft plush of his pillows.

He was such a loser. And a creep! He was basically just listening to Sasuke speak and not saying anything! For the love of all that was good in this world, he hoped that Sasuke didn’t recognise his voice. If he did, Naruto thought it might be time for him to actually go underground.

_Hey! You made the plan, you’re just gonna let it go to waste?_

_It’s damn humiliating though_ , he whined to himself, both for and against the idea.

When you got right down to it, Naruto was not a quitter. His goal had been to have a decent conversation on the phone with Sasuke, and if he couldn’t even manage that much then he would have to stop pursuing him. Sasuke wouldn’t date a coward, that much Naruto was sure of. Nodding to himself, Naruto took a deep breath and picked up the phone and dialled the Uchiha’s number once more.

“Hello?” Sasuke’s voice was impatient, most likely from the last phone. Naruto winced but persevered.

“Hey, Sasuke! It’s me!” He announced, in a voice much louder and stupider than he’d intended.

There was a brief span of silence, and Naruto couldn’t take it as he added on more, “I mean uh, good mor- _afternoon!_ It’s Naruto! Um, Naruto…from _school_!”

 _Nice one, you sounded so cool right now_ , a voice chanted mockingly in the background of his scrambled thoughts. Naruto slapped his hand against his forehead and barely smothered a suffering groan.

“Naruto.”

Upon hearing his name falling from Sasuke’s lips over the phone, Naruto straightened his back and pursed his lips together determinedly. _Okay, Sasuke hasn’t hung up on me yet. This is good, it’s a good sign…_

“Why are you calling my house?” Sasuke questioned, and Naruto took his chance and ran with it!

“Ah well, the thing is I sorta lost my phone. I was just wondering if you’d seen it around or maybe know where it is? I’m kinda asking around y’see,” He explained, a short chuckle at the end of his words which sounded pretty damn attractive in his oh-so-humble opinion.

 _Good, good!_ Things were going relatively smoothly, maybe he could do this after all!

“If you lost your phone, how are you calling me?”

_…_

_Shit_.

_I didn’t think about that! ARGHHH!_

How could he forget about such a crucial detail? _Dammit!!_ He really _was_ stupid!

 “Ah, haha. W-well you see,” His previously attractive chuckle turned shaky and nervous, as he ran a hand up and down the back of his head in order to calm his nerves. _Think dummy, think!_

“I’m calling from…my home phone!”

 _Yes!_ That would work! Sasuke would buy that, right?

 _Oh damn._ Naruto hoped Sasuke couldn’t check on his home phone to see for himself whether Naruto was calling on a landline or a mobile. Because if he could, he would be officially screwed. Given that new dilemma, Naruto decided to cut the call short.

“A-Anyway, I guess you don’t know. That’s cool, I’m sure it’ll show up somewhere.”

“Oh, what was that Iruka? You need some help with the…cheese knife?” Naruto picked the first thing that came to mind, and realised how utterly ridiculous it sounded.

“I-I’m coming! Well see ya later Sasuke, that cheese ain’t gonna cut itself up!”

Slapping his forehead hard enough to leave a mark, he pressed end to the call and collapsed face down on his bed.

That was fucking _tortuous_. Where did all his confidence go? This never happened before with Sasuke! Though, Naruto supposed before he wasn’t thinking about how nice Sasuke’s lips looked and how much nicer it would be to kiss them. Dammit, he was supposed to be a smooth player! What the hell was with this stuttering, nervous wreck of a man?

“Naruto? Did you call me?” Iruka’s voice carried down the hall from the kitchen, and Naruto lifted his head long enough to reply.

“Nothing! Nevermind!” He yelled back, then dropped his head back down and tried to hide from the embarrassment of such a phone call.

*

Naruto was miserable.

It was the end of the year, the end of his senior year, and what did he have to show for it?

Well…he did graduate with decent grades, and gained acceptance into Raikiri University, one of Japan’s well-known and popular universities.

Yet, he still hadn’t done it. He hadn’t won Sasuke’s heart at all. If anything, he probably just added more reasons to Sasuke’s list as to why the brunette should avoid him.

As he was standing around under his favourite tree, he noticed someone walking over to him – not just anyone, but Sasuke! Straightening in place, he greeted him with a smile as he came closer.

“Naruto, congratulations,” Sasuke nodded at him, and Naruto felt the butterflies stirring like crazy up inside him.

“Thanks, Sasuke. You too, you did great,” He grinned, and suppressed a wince at how cheesy he sounded. Whatever, it didn’t matter. Graduation allowed for these sorts of things, right?

“So, what university you going to?” He asked, barely containing his impatience to know.

“Raikiri University,” Sasuke supplied, and just those two words made Naruto’s heart soar.

“Really? No way that’s amazing! That’s where I’m going too!” He erupted, unable to hold back his obvious excitement. Just the thought that he would be attending the same university as Sasuke blew away every negative thought Naruto had like dust in the wind.

Sasuke’s eyes twitched wider, his head tilting slightly as he took in the words, “You were accepted into Raikiri?”

“I applied for early entry a couple of months ago, and just found out last week I got in!” Naruto laughed, still not quite believing it either. Iruka had been even more excited than he was.

“What course?”

“Ah! I’m gonna be doing the Bachelor of Digital Media and Photography.” Naruto answered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“Photography, eh?” Sasuke raised a curious eyebrow, and Naruto eagerly elaborated.

“Yeah. I mean, I really love it. I know it’s not all that impressive to some, but I’m gonna become the best photographer there is. One day, you’ll be seeing my pictures in National Geographic.” He proclaimed, projecting wide open screens with his arms and staring off into the distance, with a starry-eyed gaze.

Sasuke smirked, “Hn, we’ll see about that.”

“What about you? What course are you gonna be doing, Sasuke?”

“Bachelor of Arts. I’ll be majoring in English and Art History, as well as undertaking Philosophy as my minor.”

“Wow, sounds like you’re gonna have a lot on your plate next year! That’s gonna be so much work, I don’t envy you at all,” Naruto chuckled, then realised he’d just said something stupid and immediately backtracked.

“Uh, I mean, just for me. Not for you, obviously, I mean you’re like the best student in school so you can totally do that. Not me, since I’m so lazy, haha! You know that better than anyone right, right?” Naruto kept grinning despite how he wanted nothing more than to duct tape his mouth shut.

“Looks like we’re the only two who got accepted into Raikiri, then,” Sasuke mused, and Naruto forgot his embarrassment for a moment.

“What? Sakura-chan didn’t get accepted? I thought she’d be a shoe-in for sure! She has perfect grades! And what about Shikamaru, and Neji?”

“Sakura didn’t have enough practical experiences, she was beat out in competition. Shikamaru’s lazier than you, even if he has the highest IQ in Konoha, and Neji has decided to study here since his father’s condition isn’t improving.”

“Whoa, I really didn’t expect that.”

“But hey, at least we’ll know a familiar face next year, neh?” Naruto smiled, honest and earnest because he was so looking forward to next year. Although he wasn’t the biggest believer in fate or destiny, this was almost like a sign from the universe. His path in life was linked with Sasuke’s; he was sure of it now.

“We’re in different courses, we’ll hardly see each other,” Sasuke pointed out, not trying to be vindictive or mean – he was just stating the facts.

“Don’t worry, Uzumaki Naruto will carve out time between his hectic studying and dazzling social life to come see you every now and then. It’ll be hard, but your worth it.” Naruto shocked both Sasuke and himself with his brazen words, and blood rushed to his cheeks.

Maybe it was because it was graduation, and he felt no need to hold back on his feelings any longer. Or maybe it was because he was still so elated over the fact he and Sasuke were going to the same university, he couldn’t control his mouth.

“Ahh! It’s such a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Naruto declared loudly, changing the subject before Sasuke could start thinking he was even weirder than he already was.

“Yeah,” Sasuke murmured, his voice soft and low as he gazed upwards at the sky.

*

A year later, and a lot had changed for Naruto.

So he accepted that his mane of untameable hair would forever stay with him, and instead of fighting against it he tried to make it work for him. He only wore his glasses when he was reading, studying and got sick of wearing contacts. Other than that, he did without them most of the time.

He still didn’t go to a gym (he was a university student now, he had to make sacrifices), but his fitness was much improved compared to last year. He had even managed to make his biceps defined enough to be seen through his t-shirts, and had the beginnings of a six-pack of abs coming soon. Thankfully the lame uniform was no more, and Naruto could wear whatever he wanted. This usually consisted of jeans and a t-shit, sometimes a sweater or jacket along with it. He wasn’t fussy with his fashion sense, but he still looked decent.

Most importantly, he was definitely going to start dating Sasuke this year.

Last year, he had been a bumbling idiot head over heels with his first crush ever. It had been so long since then, though, and Naruto had gradually built his confidence back up to his usual standard. The idea of liking someone had scared him. It had made him nervous and wasn’t something he was familiar with. But time passed, and he liked to think he was a little more coherent around Sasuke than he was before.  

Sasuke was still Sasuke. If anything, he had gotten impossibly more attractive in the space of a year, although that may just be the shift from high school student to university student. Hell, even Naruto liked to think he got a bit better looking. He still wasn’t by any means considered a smoking hot muscle-man stud. He was still kind of a dork – but he was the best looking of all the ugly guys out there! He knew it!

“Surprise!” Naruto exclaimed, thrusting the small gift in his hands at Sasuke as soon as he walked out of the library.

Startling at the unexpected greeting, Sasuke stared at him in brief shock before recovering. Warily, he accepted the gift, looking down at it thoughtfully.

“…Maneki-neko?”

“I heard through the grapevine that a certain Uchiha is having their work considered for the Young Adults Creative Art Exhibition in Sapporo. Congrats, Sasuke! Just thought I’d help out, because a little more luck never hurt anyone, neh?”

“You wanna catch a movie tomorrow, or something?” Naruto smiled.

“Don’t you have an exam to study for?” Sasuke countered, somehow knowing Naruto’s schedule better than Naruto himself.

Naruto swatted at the air, scrunching his face up in distaste, “Psh, I still have time to study. It’s the weekend.”

“Today is Friday,” Sasuke deadpanned.

“Yeah, like I said. My weekend has started!”

Sasuke huffed a laugh, “With an attitude like that, you’ll end up having an endless weekend when you graduate.”

“Ha! I wish! I know I’ll pass it though, so I guess I’m out of luck.”

“Overconfident, much?”

“It’s part of my charm!”

“I suppose it is.”

Naruto was taken aback, not expecting such a response from Sasuke. He must have shown his thoughts on his face, because the corners of Sasuke’s mouth quirked in a small, amused smile. Not a smirk, but a _smile_. If this happened last year, Naruto was sure his face would be on fire now upon seeing such a thing. As it was, he only had a light dusting of pink across his cheeks – he was only human for crying out loud.

“Does tomorrow suit you?” Sasuke asked, placing the lucky cat carefully inside his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Huh?” Naruto heard the stupidity in his answer as soon as it left his mouth, and he resisted slapping a hand to his forehead.

“I have no immediate plans tomorrow. Do you?”

“No! I-I mean, yeah! I mean, _I do_ – have plans with you, I mean! Tomorrow! Y-Yeah, let’s do it tomorrow!”

If there had been a window close by, Naruto wouldn’t have hesitated in throwing himself through it. He was supposed to be the new, mature Naruto! So much for being _smooth._

“Then it’s settled.”

Miraculously, Sasuke wasn’t bothered by his verbal diarrhoea. On the contrary, he seemed rather amicable at the moment.

“I’ll meet you at the movie theatre around two.”

“Sure.” Naruto said, his pulse quickening at the thought he had actually asked Sasuke out – and gotten the answer he wanted!

*

No matter how many breathing exercise he did, or the calming down tricks Iruka had taught him, Naruto could not be anything less than an overexcited and nervous mess of energy. They were watching a movie together – he was watching a movie with Sasuke! Glancing to his side, he saw Sasuke beside him in the dark. It made his heart flutter, and despite all of his failings before – this date felt like it was going okay. Sasuke wanted to watch an action thriller, and Naruto was more than open to that. It was great that he and Sasuke shared the same type of tastes for these sorts of things, Naruto wouldn’t survive if they had to sit through a horror movie.

Naruto wanted to try and hold Sasuke’s hand. It was right there, sitting simply on the arm rest. So close! When he saw that Sasuke’s face was looking only at the screen, he inched his hand over closer, close enough to almost graze against his pale skin – but then an explosion erupted across the screen, startling Naruto away and costing him his chance. He barely suppressed a sigh, reaching instead for his drink.

Then, he felt Sasuke’s hand cover his and his entire body stilled. Naruto’s mind was swimming, his heart clanging against his ribs as he slowly turned his head and looked to the side. Sasuke was facing forward, eyes on the big screen. Naruto stared at him, and not for the first (definitely not the last, either) time got lost in Sasuke’s splendour. The light from the screen was reflecting off his face, giving him an ethereal outline. His eyes, what Naruto could see of them, looked soft in the darkness.

Naruto’s body moved, his chest twisting around to face Sasuke’s way. His face started leaning over closer, and just at the moment he was almost an inch away, Sasuke turned his head and looked at him. They stared at each other for a moment, looking into the other’s eyes deeply. Then, Naruto watched those ebony orbs flick down to his lips, and it gave Naruto the courage he needed. Closing the small space between them, he fastened his lips over Sasuke’s and kissed him.

When he pulled away, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Sasuke. He had a soft expression on his face, and Naruto finally saw that hidden gentleness he always knew was there. Then he smiled again, and Naruto’s brain turned to mush.

“We’re missing the movie.”

He heard Sasuke whisper, and could only nod which Sasuke gave a low snort at. Shaking his head, he faced the big screen once more, yet kept his hand on top of Naruto’s.

As for the blonde, he couldn’t take his eyes off Sasuke. He still couldn’t believe what just happened actually… _happened_. He almost lifted a finger and pressed it to his lips, that’s how out of it he was. Eventually, he tried to get back to watching the movie, but it was so hard now with Sasuke next to him, and knowing they had kissed. Turning his hand over, he now made it so he was holding hands with properly with Sasuke, linking their fingers together.

The rest of the movie passed by in a vague blur, with Naruto’s attention span shot to tiny, unsalvageable pieces. When it finished, Sasuke had to tap him on the shoulder to rouse him from…whatever was going on in his brain. As they walked out of the movie theatre, it was as if moving into the bright light of the afternoon broke whatever spell he had been under in there. The daze phase was over. Now, the panic stage was setting in. What did that kiss mean? What did a kiss even _mean_ these days? Just because people kissed, it didn’t mean they started relationships. If that was the case, then Naruto didn’t know what he would do.

“S-So, good movie huh?” Naruto commented, grasping at feeble straws for conversation.

“I’m surprised to hear that, given how you were staring at me for most of the second half of it.” Sasuke replied, looking cool and unaffected as always.

A red blush bloomed across his cheeks and up his neck too, the embarrassment of Sasuke noticing his staring too much to control. Well, that shut Naruto up for the rest of the way out of the cinemas. He trailed along, silent and noting Sasuke was smirking out of the corner of his eye. Was he messing around? Was this some kind of joke?

He stopped, fisting his hand inside his jeans pocket, “Sasuke!”

Getting the man’s attention, as he turned to face him, Naruto grew suddenly shy once more.

“U-Uh, you know,”

“What?”

Fumbling for the right words, Naruto drew his hands out of his pockets and started gesturing them around vaguely, “W-Well it’s just, it’s nothing really. Nothing special, it’s kinda lame really–”

Sasuke sighed, “Out with it.”

“We kinda…kissed.”

A delicate eyebrow rose, “Yes, we did. Your skills of deduction never fail to impress, Naruto.”

“H-Hey! You jerk, I’m trying to say somethin’ here!” Naruto yelled, eyes narrowing in thinly veiled humiliation.

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, “Which is what?”

Naruto huffed, trying to convey his thoughts properly, “Well y’know, a kiss can mean a lot of things these days.”

Sasuke stared at him with fire in his eyes, but Naruto didn’t notice as he kept going.

“It can be a way to say hello or goodbye. It can be meant to comfort someone, or to calm them down. Some friends kiss to show affection, so I guess what I wanna know is–”

The rest of Naruto’s sentence was a garbled mess as Sasuke marched up to him, his hands coming up to cradle Naruto’s face as he planted a firm kiss on his lips. Bright blue eyes widened dramatically, and about five seconds into the kiss they slid shut and Naruto kissed back determinedly.

“Does that clear up any misunderstanding?”

Starry-eyed, Naruto nodded, keeping his hands holding onto Sasuke’s waist.

“You’re such a moron. I don’t kiss people I don’t like.”

“So that means we’re a couple now, right?”

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke let another smile curl his lips, and Naruto really could get used to seeing that sight on a daily basis.

“Yes, Naruto. We’re a couple.”

“I’m your boyfriend.” Naruto stated dumbly, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.

“Yes–”

“And you’re my boyfriend.” Naruto reiterated, needing to have this nailed down firmly inside his head.

Sighing, Sasuke rubbed at his temples in exasperation.

“Are you really this thick-headed that I need to kiss you again?”

Naruto’s clueless look disappeared to give way to a mischievous grin, “You figure out my moves too quickly, Sasuke.”

“Heh, I just really like the sound of it, that’s all.” Naruto said, now grinning like a maniac and he didn’t even care how he looked. He was officially the happiest man on earth.

“You’re my boyfriend, I’m your boyfriend, we’re boyfriends!” Naruto sing-songed, swaying from side to side stupidly and inadvertently making Sasuke do it too as he still had his hands around his waist.

“You’re annoying, shut up or I won’t let you call me that in public,” Sasuke grumped, crossing his arms over his chest and planting his feet solidly on the ground to stop from being swayed around.

Grinning like a cunning fox, Naruto leaned in until their faces were right up close, “Oh, yeah? You can’t stop me from doing anything if I do it quick, like this,” Demonstrating his point, Naruto zoomed in and kissed Sasuke’s nose before moving back away.

“Don’t do that!” Sasuke hissed, jabbing Naruto in the ribs but despite the pain the blonde was snickering. The skittering of faint red across Sasuke’s cheeks was unmissable, and he felt pretty happy with himself right now.

“C’mon, let’s go for a walk,” Catching Sasuke’s hand in his own, he held on tight and started walking over towards the footpath.

“No. Why would I want to go for a walk with you? We just watched a movie, I’ve had enough of you.” Sasuke protested, trying to yank his hand away but having very little success.

“Sasuke, listen. You can’t kiss me like that, tell me we’re a couple and then just walk away like nothing happened. Besides, you actually like it that I’m holding your hand and walking with you, right?”

“N-No, I don’t!”

“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Naruto giggled, making Sasuke scowl – which wasn’t very effective when he was blushing.

“What happened to your nervous, clumsy behaviour from before?”

“Ah, well since you kissed me and said you return my feelings, I’m pretty confident right now. You totally like me, Uchiha – I’ve got no reason to be nervous anymore.”

“I think I preferred your awkward side,” Sasuke muttered, clearly sulking.

“You’ll get to love this side even more, trust me,” Sending a wink Sasuke’s way, Naruto couldn’t keep the grin off his face as they walked side by side down the path.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in a comment :)
> 
> PS: here is the maneki neko if you want to check it out:   
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/bf/f4/32/bff432c4bd3d16bc7c054424bd3be6ad.jpg


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